27 Dubai schools apply for fee hike

A total of 27 schools in Dubai have applied for a fee increase to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), following the announcement of a new fee framework last month.

Mohammad Darwish, chief of Regulations and Compliance Commission, told Khaleej Times, “KHDA will be directly in touch with the schools on the status of their fee change requests. The schools will in turn engage with the parents to inform them of the approved increase.”

The number of applications is set to increase as the education regulator on Monday announced results of the annual school inspections. Of the 138 private schools inspected, 11 schools were rated ‘outstanding’, 49 as ‘good’ and 65 as ‘acceptable’. The remaining 13 schools were deemed ‘unsatisfactory’.

“Some schools had queries, while others were appreciative of a comprehensive fee framework that now gives them a definitive direction on how to plan and manage their resources optimally. Parents in turn have realised that schools are in need of increments in order to cover their operational costs, especially after no fee increases in the past two years. Overall the response has been positive,” added Darwish.

The framework has pegged fee increases to an education index and the school inspection results. This year, outstanding schools can apply for a fee increase amounting to six per cent, while good schools can seek a fee increase by as much as 4.5 per cent. The acceptable and unsatisfactory schools can apply for fee hikes of three per cent.

Key findings of this year’s school inspection highlighted scope for improvement in private schools.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com